Video imaging technology permits capturing and displaying images of a target, possibly via an input/output interface such as an output component. Examples of an output component include a screen, monitor, touchscreen, speaker, light-emitting diode display, or projector and/or receiving element for projector (including, e.g., a wall projector, overhead projector, or head-mounted projector such as a Google Glass® unit).
Such video imaging technology has many applications. For example, video imaging may be used for security functions (e.g., video surveillance of residences, commercial locations, warehouses, valuable objects, or other objects or location areas), observation functions (e.g., observing a nanny, housekeeper, or pet, possibly remotely), educational functions (e.g., transmitting lectures or discussions in distance education programs), business functions (e.g., virtual meetings or communication with remote customers or colleagues), and media functions (e.g., broadcasting news, television programs, or movies). In addition, video imaging technology may be used for tracking functions (e.g., monitoring the quantity of goods or services rendered, quantity of people that enter or exit a location area, studying an experimental object, or progress of a task), healthcare functions (e.g., facilitating surgical examination or operations using small incisions and small camera systems), and other communication functions.
Certain known video camera systems are configured to convey video images to an output component generally in real-time. There may be advantages to such systems. For example, if a security officer reviews surveillance video images generally in real-time and perceives a threat to a target, the security officer may be able to intervene and possibly prevent or minimize harm to the target. Also, if a business person receives meeting video images generally in real-time, that business person can contribute to the meeting, possibly by transmitting his or her own video images, sending an email or text notification, or participating by telephone. In addition, if a health care professional is performing a surgical examination or operation using a small camera to perceive the surgery site, the health care professional may rely on the real-time video images to perceive how and where to manipulate the surgical instruments.
When performing certain functions, there may be a need to provide two perspectives of a target in real-time. For example, a security officer may wish to perceive two perspectives of the same target to permit perceiving both a close-up perspective of the target (e.g., to identify a crack in a glass case around a valuable object) and a wide-view perspective of the target (e.g., possibly to observe which direction an offender went after cracking the glass case). A business person may wish to perceive two perspectives of a meeting room, specifically, a close-up perspective of a specific meeting participant and a wide-view perspective of the entire room possibly to permit recognizing certain dynamics of the entire meeting. Also, when two or more health care professionals are performing the surgical examination or operation, each professional may need a different perspective of the surgical site to perform their job optimally.
Certain known imaging systems and procedures are configured to display two identical perspectives or two very similar perspectives of the same target. Clearly, such systems do not meet the need for simultaneously providing one close-up perspective and one wide-view perspective.
Additional imaging systems have been developed to provide two different perspectives in real-time. One such conventional imaging system permits showing the same perspective in two different displays, e.g., Internet browsers. Then, each user can manually adjust the zoom level of each of the two perspectives according to his or her needs. However, for certain functions, the user may be multi-tasking (e.g., manipulating surgical tools or taking notes while perceiving the video images of the target), which renders manually adjusting the zoom level of the video image challenging. In addition, the quality of the zoomed-in image often is poor.
Another conventional system for providing two different perspectives simultaneously provides higher resolution images by using two cameras, one for capturing each perspective. However, such two-camera systems may be cost-prohibitive, size-limiting if access to the target is restricted, or possibly detrimental to the observation if the second camera intensifies the observer effect. For purposes of this application, the term “observer effect” means the changes in the target that may be caused observing the target. Examples of the observer effect known in the art include the Heisenberg effect and Hawthorne effect.
Other attempts to provide video images split into two different perspective displays of a target have been unreliable, computationally expensive, or otherwise resulted in exceedingly low quality resolution of each perspective display.
Clearly, there is a demand for a system and methods for automatically and reliably providing two high-quality perspective displays of a target from a single camera source generally in real-time. The present invention satisfies this demand.